• Republican congressional leaders ready to forfeit fight for Social Security overhaul; complaints directed at Rove. Graham: "We are stuck." [WP, WT]

•Bush, frustrated, will "streamline his message" on Iraq and the economy. Bartlett: "The president will sharpen his focus." [WP, USAT]

• Lawmakers are talking "exit strategy" for Iraq. [NYT, WSJ]

• White House intervenes to avert anti-U.N. bill pushed by Republican leadership. [WP, NYT]

• Administration opts to send no-name ambassador to U.N. anniversary celebration instead of Bush, Rice. [NYT]

• House knocks down Patriot Act provision that enabled library snooping. Sanders: "Congress has begun to hear that civil liberties and privacy issues are important to Americans." [WP, NYT]

• Many lawmakers have financial interests in energy bill due to their investments; DeLay, Reid are among those who have disclosed owning related stocks. [WSJ]

• Debate over the Congressional response to Schiavo is ongoing; autopsy proves condition "was irreversible." [NYT, WP, USAT]

•Biden blocks nomination of Dina Powell to be deputy under secretary of state for public diplomacy. [NYT]

• Democratic Senators express dismay over Gitmo; Specter tries a power grab. [WP, WT, USAT]

• Energy bill is focused on oil independence. Bush: "Now is the time to stop the debate and the partisan bickering, and pass an energy bill." [WP, NYT, WT]

•Rove, Bartlett, Card, Hadley are sitting on millions of dollars of personal investment holdings. [WP]

• Head of Bush's Millennium Challenge Account resigns. [NYT]

• Evangelical Protestant Republicans, more than any other group, trust lawmakers with legal questions over the courts, especially on gay marriage, according to poll. [WP]

• Conservative Christian leaders may unite for '08 endorsement. [USAT]

•Tom Hanks as W. Mark Felt? Family receives around $1m in joint book, film deal. [WP, NYT]